Why Are The Stars So Far Away
by CaptainJayfeather29
Summary: Ruins. That's all that's left of the five Clans. Now there are just groups of cats who once called themselves warriors, fighting over something they can't control. In the middle of all of this is Sun's Light, a kittypet-turned-group leader who doesn't know what's happening. The thing he does know is that the war must end... now.
1. Chapter 1

**This one's going to be a little different from my mains series. It'll be longer and take me longer to upload. **

**This is a prequel to Thorns and Fire And Ice, back when the new Clans were being formed. **

**Someone asked me why SunClan has different names than the other Clans, and this will answer that. **

**Chapter 1**

Sun's Light climbed up the tree, sitting next to Scarredpelt. The cream she-cat flashed him a friendly smile, and the tom returned the gesture. Underneath them, cats were sitting, staring up at them.

_It's like a normal gathering._ He thought sadly. Except there were no Clans anymore. It had started when RiverClan consumed ShadowClan because they thought that they had a Stone. Then, ThunderClan and SkyClan attacked RiverClan, trying to save the peace. But all that ambush did was rip the forest to shreds. The Warrior Code had collapsed, and everyone had gone spiraling into chaos. The Clans broke apart into their own groups, or for some, it was every cat for themselves. A moon and a half ago, Scarredpelt had asked Sun's Light for an alliance, since her group was being killed off by Dustmuzzle's cats. Now, the two leaders decided to stop the fighting, after four whole moons of this.

"We all know very well that Dustmuzzle's group is the strongest." Scarredpelt began. Sun's Light cocked his head, wondering why she was starting in such a weird place. "If this war doesn't stop soon, we're all going to become part of…" She stopped, thinking, "_DustClan."_ She finished sarcastically. Purrs of laughter came from the gathered cats.

"That's what we're calling them now?" Sun's Light asked. Scarredpelt shrugged. Even though he had been in the Clans for over a year, there were still some things that the kittypet-born tom didn't understand, such as why kits weren't allowed out of camp. Now, he realized, he didn't really get Clan humor either.

"So what's our plan to take them down?" Cootpond, one of Scarredpelt's warriors, asked.

"Ooh!" Tallpounce leaped up. "What about we attack their camp while they're sleeping? Dustmuzzle thinks nobody will do that because he's so str-"

"We're not attacking them." Sun's Light shut down the idea. "We want peace, remember? We want the Clans back together."

"I honestly don't think we can go back to that." Scarredpelt replied. "I miss ThunderClan, and I know you miss SkyClan, but they're gone."

The island fell silent.

"Why can't we make new Clans?" Some cat asked. Angry hisses met their words.

"Everyone for themselves!" Mouseripple panicked.

"No!" We're going to stay together, no matter what." Scarredpelt growled. "In two sunrises, we go to Blazeeyes and try to recruit him. Understand?"

"Actually, our two groups have been fighting over prey on the moor for the past few days." Yet another thing that made no sense to Sun's Light. Blazeeyes's group consisted of former ShadowClan and RiverClan cats. Why would they need to do WindClan hunting?

"Well, we have to try." Scarredpelt murmured. "You got that?"

"Yes." _They're probably attacking our camp at this very moment._ "Let's go home."

The two leaders leaped down from the tree, and led their groups across the tree-bridge. Scarredpelt led her cats to SkyClan's territory while Sun's Light and his group stopped at ThunderClan's hollow.

"I'll see you." Scarredpelt meowed before leading her cats to their own camp. Sun's Light watched them leave.

"How'd it go?" Cloudy Sky put her tail on her mate's back as he continued to stare into the bush where the last cat's tail had disappeared.

"I hope we can get Blazeeyes to ally with us." He lowered his head. "I want things back to the way they were before the Stones."

"I know."

"I don't want to have to raise our kits among this fighting." He gestured to Cloudy Sky's swollen flanks. "I can't imagine a kithood where my parents were constantly fighting other cats."

"It'll be okay." She reassured him. "You and Scarredpelt will go to Blazeeyes and finally put an end to this war. I'm sure of it."

"Thanks." Sun's Light rose to his paws, and together they descended the tunnel into camp.

"Redspirit!" The tom called to the dark ginger tom who was sunning himself. Redspirit lifted his head, blinking the sleep out of his eyes.

"How'd the meeting go?" He asked.

"Fine. We're going to go to Blazeeye's camp to try and make him agree to peace." Sun's Light replied. "I'll need everyone to come. I mean, except Cloudy Sky."

"Alright." Redspirit stood up. "When do we leave?"

"Oh, not until two days from now."

"Oh." The red tom laid back down, resting his head on his paws. "I was wondering when we were going to try and stop the war."

"We've been fighting long enough." Sun's Light climbed the sunning rock, laying next to Redspirit. Nobody spoke after that.

"I realized I didn't want my kits to have to live through this. They'll be born in half a moon." He broke the silence after what seemed like forever.

"I know what you mean."

"But what if we can't stop? What if Blazeeyes wants to keep fighting? What if Dustmuzzle wants to consume us all under his leadership? What if we all just become part of DustClan?"

"DustClan?" Redspirit lifted his head.

"We decided that we're going to call Dustmuzzle's group that, since there are enough of them to make a Clan." In fact, DustClan was twice the size of Scarredpelt's and Sun's Light's groups combined. _We can take them down if Blazeeyes joins us._

_I hope he does. It's the only way we can end this once and for all._


	2. Chapter 2

**iTs BeEn A mInUtE**

**Chapter 2**

Marshshadow got on his haunches, circling the tree, thanking StarClan for his brown pelt, which blended in completely with the trees of ShadowClan's territory.

"What are they doing?" Witheredglow asked, coming up next to his groupmate. The two toms peered into what was once ShadowClan's camp. The fact that it was teeming with Dustmuzzle's warriors made Marshshadow's heart ache. _It used to be so peaceful. What happened?_

"They're having their sunset meal." He reported.

Wtheredglow nodded. "They're being completely silent." He whispered. "They were chatting away like birds last night."

"Something's changed, then." Marshshadow decided. "And it's our job to find out, remember? And report to Blazeeyes?"

"Yeah, I know." Witheredglow lowered himself even farther. "Now be quiet or else they'll hear us."

"And what will yo-"

"What happened?" The high-pitched squeak of a kit in the camp made the two toms crouch down farther in the pine needles, on alert. Marshshadow glimpsed a small white kit with black and yellow patches, following a gray she-cat who he remembered from RiverClan as Ravensnout. _Is that her kit?_

"Hush, Mottledkit. This is a sad time." The queen replied, sitting down in the middle of the camp.

"Why is this a sad time?" The kit pestered, sitting down right infront of her. Marshadow let out a small purr of laughter from his hiding place at the kit's curiosity.

Ravensnout looked down at Mottledkit, looking like she was choking on a squirrel. "Remember this morning Dawnrunner went to battle Sun's Light and Scarredpelt?"

The tomkit nodded eagerly.

"She-"

The kit suddenly changed moods, his ears drooping and his tail flat. "She's not coming back." He realized. "That's why you kept me in the nursery all day."

Ravensnout looked relieved, but at the same time surprised that the kit figured it out. "The rest of the battle patrol is about to come back with her body."

Marshadow's breath stopped as he whipped his head around to Witheredglow. The gray tom must have been thinking the same thing, because his eyes were wide and scared.

"We have to-"

The brown cat was interrupted by a large force knocking into his back. As he struggled for breath, he realized he had fallen into ShadowClan camp, and the only thing he could see was orange fur.

"Marshshadow!" Witheredglow's voice was the only thing he was certain was real, and when the orange went away, he saw the tom's outline as he leaped into the camp, landing a worm-length in front of Marshshadow's head. "Get away from him!" He screeched at something the brown tom was unaware of. The force of the fall had made his head dizzy, and he couldn't focus on anything he saw. Swirling colors filled his vision.

"Were you spying on us?" Marshshadow recognized Dustmuzzle's voice.

Growls came from Witheredglow. "Why do you think that?"

"Uh, you were crouched on top of the cliff." Thunderflash chimed in. "What else would you be doing?"

The gray tom didn't answer. Marshshadow closed his eyes, still unable to move. _Say something!_

"Kits, you're sleeping in the apprentices' den tonight." Dustmuzzle meowed after a heartbeat more of silence. "Put these fleabags in the nursery."

At that sentence, the light finally left Marshshadow's vision as he descended into sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Ryekit!"

The she-cat whipped around from where she was watching Marshshadow and Witheredglow sleep. Farkit was staring at her, his eyes wide. "What are you doing?"

"Look." She turned back to the den. "They're asleep."

"So?" Farkit came up beside Ryekit. "Every cat sleeps."

"But look how Witheredglow is curled around Marshshadow. They look like mates."

Farkit rolled his eyes. "Maybe they are."

"But they're both toms." Ryekit retorted.

A sigh came from her brother, and soon enough he was headed back to the apprentices' den. "Quit stalking and come to bed. It's nearly moonhigh."

Ryekit looked up. Sure enough, the moon was dead center in the night sky. She hadn't realized how much time passed. "Alright."

# # #

"Stop!" A yowl made Ryekit jump awake. "Don't touch him!"

The yellow kit yawned, stretching. _Good morning!_ She told herself. She opened her eyes to see that she was the only one left in the den. The other kits and their mom had already left. _Usually Farkit sleeps in._

"Don't put your paws in other cats' business!" Thunderflash's booming voice started the she-kit. "You should've known better than to spy on us. Was it Blazeeyes's idea?"

Ryekit padded out of the den, parting her jaws in another yawn. She spotted the large tom by Marshshadow and Witheredglow's den, his fur standing on end.

"What's going on?" She asked Springkit and Mottledkit as she settled down next to them, where they were watching on a rock.

"Thunderflash is going to teach those mouse-brains a lesson!" Mottledkit sounded excited, which made Ryekit uneasy. "I can't wait for him to start!"

"Can't wait for cats to get hurt?" Ryekit exclaimed. "What kind of monster wants that?"

Mottledkit's ears drooped at her words. "I didn't think of it like that."

"Well, you should have. Instead you just want action."

"Anyway." Springkit cut in. "Do you guys ever think we'll be apprenticed? I mean, with everything going on-"

"We might not be _warriors?"_ Mottledkit flopped on his stomach. "Oh for StarClan's sake!"

"Springkit's right." Farkit walked up to his siblings and friend, settling down on Ryekit's other side. "We can't become apprentices."

"So we stop the war!" Mottledkit bounded up again.

"No!" Springkit hissed. "What could four kits do? We'd just be getting ourselves killed!"

"Right."

Silence followed. Ryekit laid down on her front paws. _What if we stay kits forever?_ It was a horrible question, one that she didn't want to answer in fear it would be the wrong one. _What do I do?_

# # #

_Another day, more fear._ Ryekit thought as she woke up in her nest. Mottledkit was snoring and Springkit was twitching. _Everyone's still asleep_.

"_You're_ still asleep, too." Something brushed the kit on the side, making her jump up. As she flattened herself against the wall, the shape of a ghostly cat stood in front of her.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Littlecloud. I was ShadowClan's medicine cat many moons ago." He swished his tail, sending pufts of mist to the floor.

"Why are you here?"

"So many questions." Littlecloud purred in amusement. "You want to stop the war, right?"

"Um, yes?" Ryekit answered hesitantly.

"Then follow me. I'll show you the key."

All the fear of the ghost left the yellow kit as she followed him out into the clearing. He took a turn and started towards the camp's entrance.

Once they were in the woods, Littlecloud led her to the border of their territory, the one they shared with Blazeeyes. "Come here tomorrow morning." He instructed. "You will find the answer to your question: How do we stop this?"

Ryekit looked up at him. "Are you sure?

He purred again. "I've never been so sure in all my life."

Ryekit awoke with a start. Breathing heavily, she looked around the den. Everyone was still asleep, even with the sun starting to break through the trees outside.

_I'll go to the border._ She told herself. _I'll put an end to all this. So I can be an apprentice!_

Thankfully, nobody in the entire camp was awake. Even the night guard had fallen asleep. Ryekit purred in laughter as she ran into the forest and through the trees until she reached the stream that marked the border.

_Alright. Now I need to find that key._

She put her nose to the ground, starting to sniff for something off. After what seemed like moons, she came up with nothing. _Mousedu-_

Mid thought, her nose picked up a scent. _A cat!_ Panicking, she dove into the nearest bush. _StarClan don't let anybody find me!_

The scent didn't get stronger, but it didn't fade either. _Huh._ Ryekit put a paw down outside the bush, and when nothing came, she stepped completely out. _I'm going to find the key._

Suddenly, a small meow split the air. Ryekit froze.

It came again.

"Hello?" Ryekit got on her haunches, creeping along the border. "Who's there?"

"Hello?" An unfamiliar voice made her stop walking. "Are-are you going to eat me?"

"Eat you?" Ryekit snorted. "You're a cat. Of course I'm not going to eat you."

The undergrowth began to rustle. The kit unsheathed her claws. _What if it eats me?_

A small brown cat stepped out, its white paws covered in mud and pine needles. Ryekit immediately relaxed. "You're a kit!"

"So are you!" By its scent, she could tell he was a tom. "Thank the stars!"


End file.
